A/N: Do you guys realize that it's been six whole months since chapter one came out? And eight since the trailer? I feel like it's still just the beginning, but I guess that it really isn't.

Chapter Twenty-Six: A Shot at Being Friends

A lot happened in the following year.

Chaol got appointed to the guard detail, Lisa got her first boyfriend (though they split up quickly), and Dorian stopped hanging out with the other court boys.

He knew them all well enough that when the time came, things would be fine, but for now, he figured he really only wanted to stick around the people that he liked. Which really only consisted of Chaol and Lisa, and Chaol was now off-limits.

Dorian turned fifteen, and he started to feel like his years of freedom were slipping out of his grasp. He was getting closer and closer to an age where he could potentially rule, should anything happen to his father, and an age where he could marry. That thought scared him. In two and a half years, he could be ruling the country and married to some money-hungry bitch. Gods above.

So he tried to focus on happier, smaller things to keep his mind from going there. Books and Lisa, mostly.

Tonight, however, he could focus on nothing other than the deafening cello music and his mother's obnoxious rant about how he really needed to get a girlfriend one of these days. How he needed to start thinking about marriage.

He watched the other courtiers on the dance floor, near the refreshment tables, and dining. They all seemed so oblivious, so happy. Why was that? Why was he not content, the way that they all seemed to be?

He let out an audible breath.

Queen Georgina's eyes narrowed. "Dorian? Dorian, honey, are you listening to me?"

"Yes, mother," the prince lied as he sat, sprawled across his throne in the most careless position he could muster. He was able to get away with sitting like that when his father wasn't there. His mother, of course, still scolded him, but she wasn't in any way like his father.

"I wish your father had decided to come to this one," the queen murmured, shifting where she was, her voice softening. "He never wants to do anything like this." It was as though she was reading Dorian's mind.

Maybe there's a reason for him constantly skipping. If I had the power, I wouldn't come to these stupid things either, Dorian thought bitterly.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Chaol standing by a tall pillar. He was very handsome in his black guard's uniform, the royal seal plastered upon his left breast.

Dorian shook his head slightly. I'm not supposed to think of Chaol as handsome… or, at least not the way I just did. We're both guys.

Dorian felt his heart groan, and he realised how much he missed Chaol. It had been almost two years since they'd really been friends, but Dorian still wanted Chaol back. He had never wanted to part ways, and in a sense he felt that Chaol hadn't either. But regardless, they'd grown apart, like many people do. Dorian had, of course, always been in favor of sticking things out through both the good and the bad—he didn't feel as though friendship was something to be abandoned and cast aside when things got difficult.

Dorian had felt like Chaol and he were just as close as they'd always been when Chaol started drifting, but Chaol had just left him behind, and there was nothing that Dorian could have done about it, past or present.

At that moment, Chaol looked up from his post and, for a brief second, their gazes met. Chaol looked away. Dorian felt his face heat up.

He sighed, and got to his feet. He couldn't stand being there for a second longer.

"Where are you going?" Queen Georgina asked, sounding annoyed. "You said you'd stay!"

"No, mother," Dorian countered. "I said I'd show up. I don't want to be in this room any more time I have to be."

And with that, he strode from the room.

Several ladies tried to stop him along the way, but he just kept pushing past them. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He wanted to be alone. It was so crowded… so warm… so many people.

He felt his heart quickening as the sea of courtiers contracted around him. It seemed as though he was suffocating.

"Please, just let me through," he ground out.

"Oh, but just one dance!" a lady pleaded.

"You simply must stay for a few more," said yet another, grabbing his arm as she did so.

"Let me through," Dorian repeated himself. He was almost to the door… so close…

"Let the prince through," said a deep voice from behind. "There's no need to cause a ruckus, ladies. There will be other parties."

Dorian looked around for his saviour, and his eyes fell on… Chaol.

Chaol took Dorian's arm and cleared a path through all of the people, guiding Dorian through the sea of courtiers and royals as they attempted to speak to the prince.

The doors closed behind them as the stepped out of the hall. The two boys stood there, facing each other in awkward silence.

"Er… shouldn't you be getting back?" Dorian asked.

"No, my shift just ended," Chaol responded. Dorian nodded.

"Okay."

"You want me to walk you back to your room, seeing as your detail isn't here right now?"

"Yeah, sure," Dorian said. "But really, I can walk myself."

"Then why'd you say yes?" Chaol smirked.

"I—Chaol," he groaned.

Chaol just shook his head. "Come on," he said. "Let's get going before they all start making excuses to come follow you."

"Yes. Let's."

The two walked down hallways, mostly remaining quiet, until Chaol finally said, "So, how have things been with you? We haven't spoken in so long."

"Good, good," Dorian said, doing his best to sound like he didn't care about Chaol anymore, like he wasn't totally thrilled that the other boy actually seemed interesting in Dorian's current life.

Chaol raised an eyebrow. "You know, when you lie, you get this adorable little dimple between your eyebrows. And now you're narrowing your eyes at me the way you do when you're not sure what I'm trying to get out of you."

Dorian felt his face heat. How could Chaol still read him so well? "Yes, well…"

Chaol smiled at him. "Tell me the truth, please."

Dorian shrugged, defeated. "I don't know. I'm sad, I guess, but I've had worse." He thought about his slowly worsening moods. He knew he was suffering from depression—there was no doubt about it—but he also didn't know how to voice what he was feeling. It had been so much worse a few years ago, though, when Chaol had first left. "I… I miss being friends with you. Especially now," Dorian continued. "I mean, my parents are pestering me about finding a woman that meets their standards, and it won't be another few years until I'm eighteen! And I figure that you'd have something witty to say about it, that you'd be able to help me through this sort of thing. And then, you've finally become a guard, after all these years spent dreaming, and I'm not there for you."

Chaol cocked his head. "I guess I miss being friends with you, too. I especially miss the times in the library. Now that I'm a guard, I have no time to read anymore! I was also kind of thinking the same thing. I mean, I've reached my goal, and I wouldn't have without you. It seems so wrong that you weren't there through all of it. But I know that's partially my fault. As for the marriage thing—I'm sorry. I know that's gotta be rough. I'm not sure if there's anything you can do to prevent it. On the bright side, though, you don't really have to start worrying about it until it's time for you to ascend to the throne."

Dorian nodded distantly. "I suppose so."

"We should hang out again," Chaol said spontaneously. "Really, we should. I know that you're no longer friends with any of those court boys, so you've got to be a little lonely."

"No really. I mean, okay, yeah, but I've still got Lisa."

"That's my point! Let's meet in the library sometime when I'm off work!"

Dorian nodded enthusiastically. "I'd love that!"

"Well then, it's settled. Goodnight, my prince."

They'd reached Dorian's room. With regret, Dorian said goodnight back, and then closed the door to his room.

Excitement filled his being. He might have a shot at being friends with Chaol again! And what was more, Chaol actually missed hanging out with him! He felt his heart swell, and he realized that he was happier than he had been in years.

Chapter Release Date: March 10, 2018